Pregnant American with Canadian Husband. Questions about my baby's immigration.

[TeddyBearsPrincess]

I am currently four months pregnant. I'm still in the process of filing to be sponsored by my husband into Canada but for now we live together in Canada. Since I am not a PR yet, we pay out of pocket. My mother says "Aw well if you aren't a PR by the time you're close to delivery, you can come to the U.S and give birth for cheaper."

Is this something that can be done? Will my immigration be harmed or will my baby have trouble becoming Canadian because of it? I'm due in February so I might just be a PR by then but I want to see what our options are. I don't want to start our life as parents with a huge 50k debt. Any help will be appreciated!

 

[scylla]

Have you already submitted the PR application or are you still in the process of gathering the documents? If the application has already been submitted, did you apply inland or outland?

Having your baby in the US shouldn't pose any problems. However it will be easier to answer your question if you provide complete details.

 

[MiriamT]

I am currently four months pregnant. I'm still in the process of filing to be sponsored by my husband into Canada but for now we live together in Canada. Since I am not a PR yet, we pay out of pocket. My mother says "Aw well if you aren't a PR by the time you're close to delivery, you can come to the U.S and give birth for cheaper."

If that were true there wouldn't be some Americans crossing the border to give birth in Canada. Even paying out of your own pocket it's generally cheaper here, especially if you choose a midwife. Unless you have insurance in the US that covers delivery.

I can't find where, but there was a report on that and interviews with American couples coming to Canada for delivery to avoid the huge debt that they would have if their baby was born in the US.

Is this something that can be done? Will my immigration be harmed or will my baby have trouble becoming Canadian because of it? I'm due in February so I might just be a PR by then but I want to see what our options are. I don't want to start our life as parents with a huge 50k debt. Any help will be appreciated!

If you decided to give birth there, the child would be Canadian if the father is a naturalized Canadian, or born in Canada. If father is a Canadian born abroad, then you'd include your child (once it's born) in the application to be sponsored with you.

 

[floomy]

I was same situation as yours- no medical insurance, Baby would be canadian by naturalized canadian father.
It is very expensive to give a birth in Canada without insurance compared to the cost from my country.
(delivery 5-8000 CAD, C section 10- 12000 CAD with 2-3 days hospital stay)
So I gave a birth at my home country.

We did not have any problem to bring her Canada.
- we applied for her citizenship cert. and made her passport at Canadian embassy.

When I send my sponsorship app (I applied for PR after her birth), I attached her birth certificate and receipt for citizenship application.

Only hassle we had in Canada was getting her child care money from Gov.

Since she was born outside Canada, it took 6 month to get her money every month (CRA requested a lot of docs.)

 

[Panamai]

Yes, I agree with Miriam on this one.. unless you have insurance in the US, it would still be MUCH cheaper to give birth in Canada. Also, have you looked into using a midwife? Here in Ontario at least, midwives are mostly free, even for visitors. From what I understand (someone correct me if I'm wrong), you only have to pay for lab tests and ultrasounds.

 

[TeddyBearsPrincess]

My husband is Canadian, born and raised and is in the military. We're applying inland (I'm still gathering documents) and I've lived in Victoria, on and off (I spent 7 months in Washington after my first six months since I didn't know we could apply for extension) for almost 3 years.

I thank you all for your input, it's really helped. Feel free to keep replying if it'll shed some more light on the situation. Honestly, I prefer to have the baby in Canada if at all possible. I know there is definitely a possibility in the U.S Health System to have this be a giant bill by the end of it. Plus I don't want to burden my baby so soon after it's born to the flight home. If it's all the same financially, I think it's best we keep to our path and have our child in Canada.

That being said, I don't know much about B.C's health system. Say my PR comes through after the birth, would be reimbursed or some such?

Edit: Looked it up, Midwives are free with B.C Care Card.

 

[Ponga]

My husband is Canadian, born and raised and is in the military. We're applying inland (I'm still gathering documents) and I've lived in Victoria, on and off (I spent 7 months in Washington after my first six months since I didn't know we could apply for extension) for almost 3 years.

I thank you all for your input, it's really helped. Feel free to keep replying if it'll shed some more light on the situation. Honestly, I prefer to have the baby in Canada if at all possible. I know there is definitely a possibility in the U.S Health System to have this be a giant bill by the end of it. Plus I don't want to burden my baby so soon after it's born to the flight home. If it's all the same financially, I think it's best we keep to our path and have our child in Canada.

That being said, I don't know much about B.C's health system. Say my PR comes through after the birth, would be reimbursed or some such?

`
In BC you are eligible to apply for MSP as soon as CIC has `accepted for processing', your application. This clearly means the date that it is delivered to the CIC mailroom!

Most people that have fought for coverage have lost, because the staff at MSP (and even those at Health Insurance BC) don't seem to understand their own policy for those that have applied for PR. You are now a `Deemed resident', because you have applied for PR. I suggest you and your husband start the `battle' and see if you can get coverage...because you ARE eligible.

Good luck!

 

[TeddyBearsPrincess]

That makes me so happy! Once the papers are in, we'll get to work and see what can be done! Thank you so much!

I honestly owe so much to this forum. I've definitely had no bad encounters with Canadian immigration, they're all nice and I've never been treated unfairly. But with their call center being the way it is, this is the only place I can turn and it's helped me so much! Thank you all! Feel free to keep replying.

 

[Ponga]

I just realized that you have NOT yet submitted your PR application. This means that you are not [yet] eligible to apply for MSP, but you will be as soon as your PR application has been received by CIC.

But...why are you applying with an Inland application? There's no way on earth that you'll have your PR by the time you deliver your baby. As a matter of fact, s/he will probably be walking before you finish the entire process!

If you submit an Outland application, which you can do even if you're in Canada, you will save yourself about 18 months of processing time (enough for 2 more babies). LOL! Most Americans complete the entire process in ~ 6-8 months, versus ~ 2 years for an Inland application. As long as you have a straightforward application, with no `red flags' (such as criminality, or non-genuine relationship concerns) you really should consider the Outland application.

The only caveat is that with an Outland application, you're not eligible for an Open Work Permit, but you'll have `plenty' of work on your hands without it, caring for your new baby anyway. The other catch, is that you should have legal status to apply Outland. All you need to do is apply to extend your current status (assuming you are in status) before it expires. This seems to be a very common thing and the approval rates, for Americans, is quite high.

 

[TeddyBearsPrincess]

Thank you for that! I had no idea, I'll apply Outland if its all the same to them and you're right, I'll have plenty on my plate without thinking about work. Is there any difference in the application process filing outland vs inland?

 

[Rob_TO]

Thank you for that! I had no idea, I'll apply Outland if its all the same to them and you're right, I'll have plenty on my plate without thinking about work. Is there any difference in the application process filing outland vs inland?

Yes, they are 2 different packages:

INLAND application package: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/spouse.asp

OUTLAND application package: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp

As mentioned, it's no problem to apply OUTLAND while residing in Canada as a visitor to get quicker processing times (CIC actually recommends it in the guide). The ouland visa office for US citizens is CPC-Ottawa.

 

[TeddyBearsPrincess]

Thank you! I'll make sure we get these out right away!

 

[tryee]

If u apply for inland. You will be getting a work permit once they received your app. Which is like three months after you dropped off your papers. hope this works for ya.

 

[TeddyBearsPrincess]

It has nothing to do with my original question. I'm going through my forms before I send them out.

On my applications, it asks for information about my family "whether or not they accompany me to Canada"

My question is this: Do I include people like my mom and siblings? Or is this a spot specifically for my spouse and children?

 

[taffy7]

Its for any dependent children . So glad to see your applying outland. Skip that question